Courtesy of Judith Gregg Librarian Catherine Arbogast heads out with a personalized book delivery from the Los Altos main library.

Love of learning and curiosity about the world sometimes grow only more urgent as a person spends more and more time at home, limited by age, health condition, or both. Librarians head out from the Los Altos main l...

Already known as an innovator in the tech field, Google Inc. is now moving in on the art world.

The Mountain View-based company July 11 launched the “Paint the Town” contest, a “moving art experiment” that invites California residents over the age of 13 to submit physical or digital artwork that would decorate the door...

Traci Newell/Town Crier The six-week, tuition-free Stretch to Kindergarten program, hosted at Bullis Charter School, serves children who have not attended preschool. A teacher leads children in singing about the parts of a butterfly, above.

courtesy of Rishi Bommannan Rishi Bommannan cycled from Bates College in Maine to his home in Los Altos Hills, taking several selfies along the way. He also raised nearly $13,000 for the Livestrong Foundation, which supports cancer patients.

The Town Crier’s recent article on coyotes venturing down from the foothills in search of sustenance referenced the organization Project Coyote (“Recent coyote attacks keep residents on edge,” July 1). Do not waste your time contac...

Photos by Alicia Castro/Town Crier Local residents participate in an exercise class at the Grant Park Senior Center, above. Betsy Reeves, below left with Gail Enenstein, lobbied for senior programming in south Los Altos.

Grace Wilson Franks, our beloved mother and grandmother, left us peacefully on July 16, 2015 just a few weeks short of her 92nd birthday. She was born to Ross and Florence (Cruzan) Wilson in rural Tulare, California on Septem...

Most of us have a place inside our hearts and minds that occasionally causes us trouble. For some, it is sadness, depression or despair. For others, it may be fear, anger, resentment or myriad other emotional “dark places” that at times seem to hij...

Hughes, who embarked on a third career as a realtor nearly 21 years ago, celebrated his 89th birthday last week with a large contingent of colleagues and friends – as well as a sizable birthday cake – at the Coldwell Banker offices at 161 S. San Antonio Road. The 36-year Los Altos resident, who works part time, told the Town Crier that he has no plans to call it a career anytime soon.

“I have to do something, you know,” Hughes said with a chuckle. “When I started in real estate, I was determined to work in (the industry) for 20 years. Maybe now I’ll make it 25.”

And work is certainly nothing new to Hughes, who still lives in the same Los Altos house he and his wife, Joy, purchased in 1977.

The son of a Kentucky tobacco farmer, Hughes joined the Navy at the age of 18, serving in World War II and the Korean War before retiring in 1963 after a 20-year military career. He served an additional 10 years as a reservist, then worked for VWR International LLC in Brisbane, a global laboratory supply company, where he ascended from salesman to the company’s management ranks before retiring once again in 1989 at age 65.

Despite a second retirement, Hughes said he still had the bug to continue working and attempted to form a startup to compete with VWR. However, the venture proved to be short-lived and he found himself pursuing a third career in real estate.

“I knew I still wanted to do something,” said Hughes, who began taking courses in real estate in the early 1990s. “At the time, things were booming and I just needed something to do.”

Meanwhile, Hughes’ colleagues said he’s a continuing source of laughs, inspiration and entertaining stories of years gone by to all who know him.

Fellow Coldwell Banker realtor and Los Altos resident Kathryn Tomaino said Hughes stands out because of his loyalty and work ethic, among other qualities.

“My dad was a World War II vet also, and Harold is kind of the last of the breed,” said Tomaino, in reference to the “Greatest Generation.”

“He’s very loyal, as you can see – he’s been here 20 years,” she continued. “He’s always out there and very involved. I think it’s what keeps him young.”

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